There are 8 major river systems in India, with more than 400 rivers in total.[1] Rivers play an important role in the lives of the Indian people due to their crucial importance in sustenance and their place in Indian religions. The table below lists the rivers of India with their average annual discharge into either the Bay of Bengal or Arabian Sea. Only rivers with discharging into the sea are listed, so no tributaries are listed, some of which can have flow rates much higher than some of the rivers listed in the table.
No.
Region
River
Length (km)
Drainage area (km2)
Average discharge (m³/s)
Outflow
Reference
Note
1
Indo-Gangetic plain
Ganges
3084
1,200,000
41,199
Bay of Bengal
[2]
Trans-boundary, 3rd largest discharge in the world
2
Indo-Gangetic plain
Indus
3200
1,085,000
6,600
Arabian Sea
Trans-boundary, flows mainly through Ladakh in India
3
West Coast
West flowing rivers south of Tapti
NA
NA
6,371
Arabian Sea
[2]
Includes Periyar, Vaigai, Sharavathi, Kali, Mandovi, Zuari
4
Deccan
Godavari
1465
312,812
3505
Bay of Bengal
[2]
Largest river in South India
5
Deccan
Krishna
1400
258,948
2213
Bay of Bengal
[2]
2nd largest river in South India
6
East Coast
Mahanadi
858
141,600
2119
Bay of Bengal
[2]
7
Central India
Narmada
1312
98,796
1447
Arabian Sea
[2]
Largest west flowing river within India
8
East Coast
Brahmi-Baitarani
480
39033
903
Bay of Bengal
[2]
Second largest river in Odisha
9
South India
Kaveri
765
81,155
677
Bay of Bengal
[2]
Largest river of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
10
East Coast
East flowing rivers between Mahanadi and Godavari
NA
NA
561
Bay of Bengal
[2]
Includes Vamsadhara
11
Central India
Tapti
724
65,145
489
Arabian Sea
[2]
12
East Coast
Subarnarekha
470
19300
392
Bay of Bengal
[2]
13
Central India
Mahi
580
34842
383
Arabian Sea
[2]
14
South India
Penna
597
55213
200.4
Bay of Bengal
[2]
^Banerjee, Ananda (2015-05-25). "India's misunderstood rivers". www.livemint.com. HT Media Ltd. Retrieved 2015-08-22. The Indian subcontinent is home to seven major river systems with more than 400 rivers.
^ abcdefghijklmKumar, Rakesh; Singh, R.D.; Sharma, K.D. (2005-09-10). "Water Resources of India" (PDF). Current Science. 89 (5). Bangalore: Current Science Association: 794–811. Retrieved 2013-10-13.
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